Short Story Sunday – “Overwhelmed”

03May

Overwhelmed

The air was crackling just like her electricity. She could even see the ripples in the air like one would see in a heat wave off of the pavement. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down, hoping that she wouldn’t discharge a wave of lightning in the middle of the city.

Sierra tapped her fingers rapidly atop of her steering wheel as she waited in the middle of traffic, her gaze looking around for any sort of outlet that she could discreetly send her electricity. Usually she had a bit more warning before her body told her it was filled with electricity, a bit more warning that her body needed to release some of the bolts stored inside of her before blasting it in the air around. Sierra vaguely wondered what would happen if she discharged inside of her running car.

Probably some sort of explosion that would reach out and trigger the cars in the next lane to burst as well.

Sierra growled at the traffic jam, slammed her hazard button light on, and got out of the car. She jogged as best as she could through the winding maze of stuck vehicles, ignoring the beeps and curses she was earning from the cars that were now stranded behind her own.

“Onyx,” she muttered to her cell phone, “please call Josh and ask him to come and get my car.”

You truly believe he has the patience for that?

“He has to,” Sierra said, leaning against a building in a nearby alley. “He’s the only one who can get the car right now–” She groaned as a wave of pain rippled through her. If she didn’t find somewhere to discharge soon, the electricity would overwhelm her and ripple through the city on its own. There was no telling what kind of harm or damage Sierra would cause from letting her bolts loose in such a crowded place.

Speak to the telephone wires, Onyx suggested. Perhaps they can help you get where you need to go.

“What do you mean?” Sierra muttered.

Electricity travels together, the phone said. Maybe you can ride with them.

Sierra blinked and glanced up at the wires. Is that right? she asked the power lines. Can I ride with you to the outskirts of town?

If you can reach us up here, was the snooty reply, then you can come with us. We cannot go down and collect you.

Sierra took a deep breath and reached up, calling out to the electricity both in the power lines and hovering in her body. The electricity in both sources began to ripple together in the same rhythm, and Sierra groaned aloud as her body picked itself apart, as her molecules morphed into electric strands themselves. Her breath was stolen as her waves of electricity wrapped around the power lines and soared along the aluminum lines as far as they could go.

Sierra couldn’t keep her mind straight as she surfed the electric air around her, and she was lucky to be spit out at the very edge of town, right after the last of the power lines. As soon as her body reassembled itself, she screamed as waves of electricity discharged from her.

Her chest heaved as the discharging slowed to a stop, with a few straggling strands of electricity emerging from her hair and fingertips. She was gazing up at the clear sky, trying to figure out what had just happened.

“Onyx?” she croaked out, certain that her Android phone knew more about what she had just gone through than she did.

You merged with the natural electricity in the air, the phone explained. You have traveled north to the outskirts of the city and landed by the side of the old highway.

“How?”

Your abilities, naturally, Onyx said. Your molecules are constantly charging and are able to shift and morph into electricity just as the electricity in the air. I presume you’d be able to travel along whatever electric lines you may find, such as outlets and perhaps even phones like myself.

Sierra swallowed in an attempt to parch her dry throat. “…That’s weird.”

Onyx didn’t reply. Sierra stayed where she was, unsure as to how much time had passed until her phone began to ring. She mentally answered it, too tired to actually take the Android out of her pocket to hit the answer button.

“Hi, Alex.”

“Where are you?” was the shrill question. “Josh went and got your car, like you or Onyx or whatever asked, but you still aren’t here. Are you okay?”

“Jus’ tired,” Sierra said, sitting up sluggishly. “I’m by the north highway.”

“What are you doing over there?”

“I traveled with the power lines,” she said, her tone quiet and slow. “Needed to discharge. Alex… I’m tired…”

“You said that already,” was the response. “Hang on, we’ll send Josh to come get you.”

“‘Kay.” Sierra hung up and rubbed at her eyes. It took less than a minute for Josh to appear in front of her, and the speedster’s hands on her shoulders was a welcomed touch. “Hi.”